61 year old Gary Michael Hilton has plead guilty to the murder of the Georgia hiker, Meredith Emerson. A plea agreement was reached that spared Hilton the death penalty as it was determined that Hilton would have most likely died in prison before the state could have put him to death. Meredith Emerson’s father put it best, “no punishment for Hilton is too great.”

Gary Michael Hilton was the last person seen with Emerson on the hiking trail before her body was later discovered. Sound familiar, the last known person seen with a victim being responsible for the crime?

Darragh said Hilton intended to abduct Meredith Emerson to take money from her bank accounts but eventually he knew he would take her life. Darragh said Hilton told Emerson he was going to let her go and then struck her several times with a jack handle until she died.

Emerson was believed to have been kidnapped in Union County and killed in Dawson County, authorities have said. (FOX News)